From a personal standpoint baking your own bread will save the average family a ton of money. The average national cost of one loaf of regular bread from the grocery store is $3. If you want Artisan Sourdough it can pass $8. The recipes I will give you further along in this article will allow you to make your own fresh, authentic sourdough loaf for twenty cents. You could bake your family fifteen loafs of delicious, deli-style bread for the price of one plain jane pack off the shelf!
Now, on a global perspective (because I'm always thinking about the greater picture), this idea could save a lot of people. There are starving people all over the world. Not just in third world countries, but in your own hometown. I don't care if the population is twenty million or twenty thousand, there is at least one family where you live whose children will go to bed hungry tonight. Now, one sourdough starter cost me exactly seventy-four cents to make. It lasts indefinately, or at least however long I persistantly feed it. Some starters have been passed down generation by generation. That's right, some families are baking bread from the same original batch as their pioneer ancestors a hundred and fifty years ago. The older the starter, the better the bread! The concept is simple, you take one package of yeast, mix it with a little flour and a little warm water and let it ferment for a while. You save half and use half, so no matter what, you always have yeast. If you can grow your own wheat and make your own flour your family won't starve. So, start your own batch today and share it with someone you love, pass it down and keep the world fed.
The recipe I used today was from Food Network, Emeril has never told me wrong so far.
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 cups sourdough starter, recipe follows
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
In an electric mixer with the dough hook, combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl.
Place a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and knead gently, removing any large air bubbles. Knead into a small circle, then shape into a tight ball, pinching the seams together underneath. Place on a well-floured board or baking peel, seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towels and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat a baking stone, if available, on the bottom rack of an oven at 400 degrees F. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut a large "X" or cross-hatch pattern into the top of the dough.
Spray lightly with a mister and transfer to the baking stone (or place on a heavy baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal) and bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 60 minutes. (Sourdough should have a darker crust than other breads, so leave in the oven 5 minutes after you think it is done.)
Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Basic Sourdough Starter:
- 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the yeast does not foam, discard the mixture and begin again with a new yeast.)
Add the flour and stir vigorously to work air into the mixture. Cover with a towel let rest in a warm, draft-free place (an oven with its pilot light or light bulb turned on works well) for 8 to12 hours. (The mixture should become very bubbly.) Use immediately or cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Preserving the Starter: Each time you remove a portion of the starter for a recipe, reserve at least 1/4 cup and replace the amount you have taken out with equal amounts of flour and water.
For example, if you remove 1 cup of starter, you must replace it with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk these ingredients into the starter until blended but not completely smooth, cover loosely, and return to the refrigerator.
Also, the starter must be maintained by feeding it every few days. Refresh by removing 1 cup of thestarter (give to a friend or discard it) and adding 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of warm water. Whisk until blended but not smooth. Cover loosely and return to the refrigerator.
If you plan to be away longer than a week, freeze the starter in a sterilized, airtight freezer container. Thaw the starter 2 days before you plan to bake with it. Refresh as indicated above with 1 cup each of flour and warm water. Cover and leave at room temperature 12 hours or overnight before using.
CAUTION: Never keep your starter tightly closed! The gasses expelled by the yeast will build up pressure and may cause the container (such as a glass jar) to burst!
Yield: 5 to 6 cups Prep time: 10 minutes Inactive prep time: 12 hours
It takes a little time, but it really is simple. If I can do it so can you. I found a few other amazing places for good recipes which I am including at the end of the article. Thanks for joining this project with me. If you try this recipe, please comment and let me know how you did!
http://community.southernliving.com/showthread.php?t=506
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10984/sourdough-pizza-dough-recipe
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bread
No comments:
Post a Comment